As the “crash for cash” scam develops and becomes more sophisticated, Ageas’s commitment to tackling insurance fraud continues.
The “crash for cash” scam typically involves a vehicle collision with a moped rider. This incident is deliberately set up to appear like an accident, allowing the moped rider to claim for damage and injuries.
Reported initially in London back in 2023, the scam has since spread to urban areas across the UK.
The fraudsters are now using this scam to exploit people further, with the latest development being identity fraud.
A recent victim of this two-pronged scam is one of Ageas’s customers.
The policyholder said: “I was coming up to a roundabout and indicating to turn right. I checked it was clear and moved onto the roundabout, when all of a sudden one of these scooters came from my left, beeped me, and raced past in front of me without giving way. I had to brake to avoid a collision, but then he then did a u-turn on the roundabout and before actually making a full turn, he hit the front of my car.”
“I was shocked. The scooter was wedged up against my front wing mirror. The man began walking towards me, I opened my door, and he began taking photos of my car.”
“It didn’t do a lot of damage to my car to be honest, a small little blemish on the front wing where the light is that was it. His bike seemed to have something coming off of it, maybe the mudguard.”
“I was not happy, I was already on the roundabout and he did not stop and give way. He tried to swerve past me and turn around on my car.”
“I told him that, I told him he was supposed to stop and give way. He never answered, all he said was that his motorcycle was broken. I replied to him what about my car?”
At this point the customer thought the way it happened was strange, but they did not think the accident had been deliberate.
They continued: “I wanted his insurance details, and he said he wanted mine too. I got my policy information out, he photographed what he wanted. He then asked for my driving license which he also took photos of.”
“We didn’t speak much but I was not concerned, I did not suspect anything when it was happening.”
On the same day the customer called their insurer and told Ageas everything. They also called the moped driver’s insurer and explained the situation to them.
The policyholder recalled: “I have been getting no end of forgery stuff from insurance companies since the incident.”
“After speaking to my son, I took the first letter I received to the police station. Looking into what happened, the police officer said I shouldn’t be surprised if I get a lot more of them as someone looks to be using my identity to commit fraud. They advised me to contact the Insurance Fraud Bureau.”
“I was getting loads of letters, sometimes three or five a day. I kept them all, I phoned the companies and they could see it was fraud. They told me they would stop anything happening, but I kept getting letters.”
They also received a letter from the moped driver’s insurer stating they’d admitted fault and advising them to take their car to one of their known garages so they can give an estimate.
“I shouldn’t have given my driving license to him, I know that now. The police officer said all I should have given was my insurance details.”
“Once they get hold of your identity they can use that, and you don’t know where it is coming from. It’s not easy.”
“If I knew at the time I would have told him he didn’t need my licence, I would have told him that he didn’t need to see it.”
“They have no reason to see your driving licence. In an accident, all you do is give your name, number, insurance company, and car registration, that’s all they need.”
Ageas’s customer hopes sharing their experience will help as a warning to others, highlighting the importance of knowing what information needs sharing and what doesn’t.
Katie Davies, Director of Underwriting Services and Fraud at Ageas, said: “Tackling fraud is a priority for us as an organisation, and we want to raise awareness of how the “crash for cash” scam has developed into identify fraud. We’re thankful to our customer for sharing their story, and we believe it can help inform other people.
“If you suspect you’ve been targeted, please report it to the police, your insurance company, and the Insurance Fraud Bureau chatline as soon as possible.”
"It's also important to remember that if you are involved in a collision, the only information you need to share with the other driver is your name, telephone number, and vehicle registration.
“Your personal information can be valuable to criminals, so please protect yourself from identity theft by only sharing the necessary details.”
